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Updated: Nov 5, 2025
Isolation of Adipogenic and Fibro-Inflammatory Stromal Cell Subpopulations from Murine Intra-Abdominal Adipose Depots
Published on: August 16, 2020
Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis of Human Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells Identifies a Contractile Cell Subpopulation
Elize Wolmarans1, Juanita Mellet1, Chrisna Durandt1
1Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Immunology, SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
Abstract:
The potential for human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) to be used as a therapeutic product is being assessed in multiple clinical trials. However, much is still to be learned about these cells before they can be used with confidence in the clinical setting. An inherent characteristic of hASCs that is not well understood is their heterogeneity. The aim of this exploratory study was to characterize the heterogeneity of freshly isolated hASCs after two population doublings (P2) using single-cell transcriptome analysis. A minimum of two subpopulations were identified at P2. A major subpopulation was identified as contractile cells which, based on gene expression patterns, are likely to be pericytes and/or vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs).
